Nurse Who Gave Lethal Doses of Insulin Charged With Murder
Image: WPXI-TV
A registered nurse in Pennsylvania has been charged with killing two patients and harming a third after purposefully administering lethal doses of insulin.
Heather Pressdee, 40, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, three counts of neglect of a care-dependent person, and three counts of reckless endangerment.
Image: Heather Pressdee, via the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office
Incident Details
The three incidents allegedly occurred in August 2022 and December 2022 at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Chicora, Pennsylvania where Pressdee worked as a registered nurse.
Following a police investigation, it was determined that Pressdee intentionally administered lethal doses of insulin to three patients in her care. Pressdee’s actions allegedly resulted in the deaths of an 83-year-old man and a 55-year-old man. The third victim, a 73-year-old man, survived following an emergency hospitalization. Only one of the three victims was diabetic.
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The charges also revealed that Pressdee had been employed by twelve different healthcare facilities since 2018. Pressdee had allegedly been disciplined “for abusive behavior toward patients and/or staff at each facility resulting in her resigning or being terminated," including Quality Life Services.
Pressdee was taken into custody without incident from her home on May 24th, 2023. She is currently being held without bail.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State website, Pressdee’s nursing license was issued in 2018 and is currently still listed as Active.
Pressdee’s Statement
When interviewed by investigators, Pressdee reportedly admitted to the crimes, stating she “felt bad for their quality of life and she had hoped that they would just slip into a coma and pass away.”
She also allegedly told investigators that the surviving victim had asked her to kill him.
Attorney General Statement
On May 25th, 2023, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry released a statement regarding the charges against Pressdee.
“The allegations in this case outline the callous abuse of incredibly vulnerable patients by a professional nurse,” Attorney General Henry said. “As the charges indicate, these were deliberate and intentional acts perpetrated by a caregiver who was trusted to care for these victims. Be assured, my office will zealously pursue justice for the families of those who were killed, as well as the third victim who is fortunate to have survived.”
Quality Life Services Statement
A spokesperson from the skilled nursing facility in which the events allegedly took place provided a statement to the media, stating that they were, “devastated and sickened.”
"As a family-owned organization that prides itself on providing safe and compassionate care, Quality Life Services is shocked and devastated to learn that the charges brought against Ms. Pressdee by the Attorney General's Office include alleged illegal activity that occurred at our QLS – Chicora facility. We will continue to fully cooperate with the Attorney General's Office as needed in the investigation and prosecution of this matter. We can assure our community, our residents, our families and our staff that all residents of Quality Life Services - Chicora are safe and are receiving appropriate care and services,” the statement said.
Acquaintance and Coworker Statements
Pressdee’s neighbor, Gerald Montgomery, spoke to the media, stating, “Someone is her position, to intentionally do it? It is totally sickening. She is basically playing God. She is picking and choosing who she wanted to live and who to die.”
An anonymous coworker at Quality Life Services reportedly divulged to investigators that Pressdee had previously told her that one of the victims would be “better off dead.”
Another former coworker, Adam Kissell, told a news outlet, “Things continued to happen with her patients—rapid response calls and Code Blue calls—more often than what anyone would consider normal…It all seemed too wild to be true. The fact that she was actually doing the things that you only read about in the news made me sick knowing that I had worked with her and that she put on a front that she was trying to help people.”
